Merck Animal Health has been hit with a class action lawsuit by consumers who claim that their dog and cat drug Bravecto contains a pesticide that is harmful to pets.
Bravecto tablets and topical medications are used on both cats and dogs, and are marketed as a way to prevent ticks and fleas for up to three months.
Plaintiff Valerie Palmieri says she paid just under $50 for one Bravecto chewable tablet to treat her 78 pound German Shepherd Jake for fleas and ticks.
After taking the pill, Jake started to vomit, did not eat, and began to show symptoms of lethargy, according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit. The plaintiff reportedly took Jake to the emergency animal clinic after the dog was no longer able to walk.
Palmieri claims that she contacted Merck to talk about Jake’s possible adverse reaction to taking the drug. The company allegedly denied that that Jake’s sickness was caused by Bravecto but offered to pay for the emergency room visit.
However, the company would only pay if she signed an agreement which would release any claims against the company, according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff states that she refused to release her claims as she wasn’t sure if Jake’s symptoms would be long-term and was still not sure if her dog’s symptoms were caused by the drug.
After more tests and a trip to a neurologist, the plaintiff’s veterinarian allegedly told her that he “presumed” that Jake’s diagnosis of meningitis was a result of “Bravecto toxicity,” which was contrary to what she was told by the defendant.
Since he ingested the drug, Jake has continued to have neurological episodes, according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit. In September of this year, he reportedly fell down a flight of stairs and broke his leg. The plaintiff claims that she has spent “tens of thousands of dollars” treating Jake after he ingested Bravecto.
Palmieri says that when she purchased the tablet, the packaging and materials enclosed therein did not state that neurological adverse reactions were possible when taking the pill. In addition, the defendant allegedly did not tell veterinarians about the possible safety issues that the drug posed to pets.
“Because Defendant failed to disclose the risks of Bravecto to consumers and misrepresented the safety of Bravecto, consumers would be reasonable in purchasing Bravecto to treat their pets in a safe manner,” the class action lawsuit notes.
The Bravecto class action lawsuit also states that in September 2018, the FDA issued an alert about the possible neurological events that are associated with medicines like Bravecto to treat fleas and ticks.
The FDA has subsequently asked manufacturers to change their labels to “highlight neurological events because these events were seen consistently across the isoxazoline class of products” and “to provide veterinarians and pet owners with the information they need to make treatment decisions for each pet on an individual basis,” according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff states that the defendant now discloses that there may be some neurological reactions to taking Bravecto, including tremors, ataxia, and seizures.
“Every consumer who purchased Bravecto without being informed of the true facts about its health and safety risks prior to purchase was injured at the point of sale when, instead of obtaining a safe flea and tick medication, they obtained Defendant’s unreasonably dangerous and defective product,” the Bravecto class action lawsuit states.
Did you purchase Bravecto for your pet? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Mark A. Dicello, Adam J. Levitt, and Amy E. Keller of DiCello Levitt and Gutzler LLC and Jessica J. Sleater and Ralph N. Sianni of Andersen Sleater Sianni LLC.
The Bravecto Class Action Lawsuit is Valerie Palmieri v. Intervet Inc., et. al, Case No. 2:19-cv-22024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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1,807 thoughts onBravecto Class Action Says Meds Aren’t Safe For Pets
Our 2 Pyrenees took Bravecto and hours later they became sleepy and a little lethargig. One of them presented intense diarrhea with visible blood dropping sin my living room ..only 5 days later after barely eating and drinking, he begin to accept food and improving a little from the diarrhea .. The other one didn’t begin with same reaction at the same day, but 3 days later same symptoms and emergency room was needed. Now I have my beautiful babies suffering from pain and totally different from how they were a week ago: from playful and healthy ,BRAVECTO turned them in sicky and suffering little ones and still worried that more complications and side effects could come… . Vets should be giving WARNINGS before handing out this. We were totally unaware of all these cases, that apparently are not so rare. Immediately I made a complaint with the company and it was completed ignored. Bravecto should be banned from our country.
I have a small dog and she was healthy and normal until she started to take bravecto. After a months of being on Bravecto she started to develop adverse neurological effects which played out in seizures. She has been off Bravecto for a couple of years but still has seizures now.
Gave my female husky the bravecto on April 9th at 10pm. Awoke to her first seizure at 4am on April 10th. She has had many seizures since then and the medication to help them is not working. She sleeps all day now, only getting up to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom. Anyone that knows huskys knows that this is NOT normal behavior for a husky. She’s only 2 years.
I suspect my dog right now has poisoning from Bravecto. Vet doesn’t find anything but treating for gastroenteritis. Fever, cough, extremely lethargic, barely eats and raspy breathing.
Within a few days after the first dose of Bravecto, my dog developed diabetes and is now on two shots of insulin a day. Tried contacting the manufacturer but after leaving a few voicemail messages I never got another response.
Day after giving my cavalier he couldn’t hold himself up. We spent a week at ER and vet. He was having hard time walking, started to not want to eat, restless, stared out lost, stop eating.and had several blood number elevated. We had to put him down yesterday. He was ok until he had this poison Bravecto.
I’ve been giving my dog Bravecto for three years. I am now convinced to try a more natural flea remedy. This is so sad. How can they get away with this?
I asked my Vet @ value pet clinic in Renton WA for flea medicine for my 2 cats. Bit of them were dosed with liquid Bravecto on 4/25. One cat seems fine but we have had to take our Male Odin to the vet due to 3 grand maul seizures in the last 24 hrs. He is also suffering from facial seizures and mouth foaming almost every hour. My cat is my life and I have to pray that he doesn’t die from this. The vet said he could. He is now on anti seizure medication in hopes that he will be able to survive this for the next 3 months. I thought this was a safe product because I got it from my veterinarian. Shame on them and shame on you bravecto for hurting my baby. You better hope he survives this.
I lost my Boston terrier last night. 6 weeks after taking Bravecto. She had lethargy, tremors, some weakness in her back end. She the started to have seizures. Soon she was having them frequently. Tried 2 different meds with no help. She started to seize last night and died. She was a great dog. Definitely a lover not a fighter. She will be missed a lot.
My Chihuahua mix became severely ill about 3 years ago a couple days after the 2nd dose of Bravecto. She ended up with an auto immune disorder were her body destroys her red blood cells. After a trip to a ER Vet Clinic, a blood trans fusion, a couple days at animal hospital, 4 meds a day for a year and a half and over 5 thousand dollars, we are down to one medication every other day (Prednisone) for the rest of her life & blood work every 3 to 6 month to have a RBC below or at normal low levels. She continues to have an occasional seizure.
We had almost the exact experience with our Staffy…and then she began having large grey, lumpy, hard scabs all over the back of her neck and shoulders…as if she had been dosed with wet cement. It would occasionally crack and bleed. We immediately discontinued the Bravecto, but her condition never got better. She finally lost all kidney function two years later and passed. She had been perfectly healthy right up until the Bravecto.